I try to post a meatless main dish every week for Meatless Monday, but some weeks it just doesn't work out. Last week I tried out an idea for a meatless pasta dish, and it was definitely tasty. Unfortunately, the photos were so unappetizing that the recipe still needs work. Luckily, I did manage to get some good photos this week to update this favorite recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. The first time I made this recipe, I took one bite and knew immediately I'd be making these sweet potato fries over and over. My favorite sweet potatoes fries are not only meatless, but this recipe is deliciously vegan. Who knows, this just might become your favorite way to cook sweet potatoes?

You can certainly make this recipe with those pre-cut sweet potato fries that show up in the stores this time of year, but I prefer to cut my own so I can make them a little thicker. Having a little more thickness lets me cook them slightly longer for maximum crispness, although sweet potatoes don't ever get as crisp as regular fries.

Some stores sell the darker red sweet potatoes shown on the top and call them "Yams" or "Sweet Yams," but they're sweet potatoes, as are the slightly lighter-skinned ones on the bottom. Please trust me on this. (There's also a tan-skinned variety of sweet potato with white flesh, but I haven't tried making this recipe with those.)

Cut off both ends of the sweet potato and use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel off the skin. (Thanks to my brother Dave and sister-in-law Amy who gave me this Cutco vegetable peeler that I love!)

Then cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and again in half crosswise, so you have four pieces. Slice each piece longways into 2 or 3 slices.

Then cut each slice into 5 or possibly five fries.

I like to make thick fries, about 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick (15-18 cm.) I don't mind if the pieces are a little irregular, it adds to the charm!

Put the fries into a large bowl and toss with enough olive oil so all the fries are very lightly coated with oil (1-2 tablespoons of oil for 2 sweet potatoes, depending on how big the sweet potatoes are.)

Use the largest baking sheet you have and spray with olive oil or non-stick spray. Arrange sweet potatoes so the flat side is down and they're not touching each other. (Use 2 pans if your pan isn't big enough.) I used to bake these at 425F, but I've come to like them better cooked at 450F/230C, and that's the temperature I used.

Cook 15 minutes, then use your fingers or a fork to turn them over (this photo is after they're turned) and put back in the oven.

Cook 15 minutes more and turn them again (this photo is after they've been turned a second time. Put back into the oven.

Cook another 5-10 minutes, depending on how well-done you like them. (I cooked mine about 7 minutes more.)

I promise, these Spicy Sweet Potato Fries will be a hit with anyone who likes sweet potatoes!

This recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato Fries was updated with better photos and step-by-step instructions, November 2013. And just to entertain you, here's the previous photo for this recipe, which I think wasn't showing off how delicious the sweet potato fries really are!

In mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind together coriander, fennel, oregano, and Aleppo pepper. Mix in salt. (This makes enough for several batches of sweet potatoes, so you'll need a small jar to store the extra.)

Cut off both ends of the sweet potatoes and peel with a sharp vegetable peeler. Then cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise and again crosswise so you have four pieces. Slice each piece into 2 or 3 thick slices, then cut each slice into fries. (I made them about 1/2 - 5/8 inches thick, or about 15-18 cm.)

In plastic bowl, toss together cut sweet potatoes, olive oil, and spice mixture. You will need 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and 2-3 teaspoons of the spice mixture for every two sweet potatoes, depending on how big the sweet potatoes are and how spicy you like it.

Spray flat roasting pan with non-stick spray. (Use the largest baking sheet you have.) Spread out sweet potatoes in single layer, with the flat side down and not touching each other. (Use two baking sheets if yours is too small to do this.)

Roast sweet potatoes 15 minutes, then use your fingers or a fork to turn each sweet potato. Roast 15 minutes more and turn again. Roast another 5-10 minutes, depending on how done you like them. Serve hot, with Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha, if desired.

Sweet Potato Info: Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are often called "Yams" or "Sweet Yams" in the United States. but they're really sweet potatoes.

South Beach Suggestions:
Sweet potatoes are considered a "good" carb for the South Beach Diet (unlike potatoes, which are very high on the glycemic index.) This would be a great side dish for phase two or three.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Tasty Ideas with Sweet Potatoes for Meatless Monday:
(Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.

(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

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Yum! I'll have to try these. That's a very interesting spice combination. It's definitely important to cut sweet potato fries thick. I remember making my first batch a few years ago and burning them horribly. Oops!

Yum!!! I've never cooked with sweet potatoes much, but I've been making them a lot for my daughter lately (11 months)--just roasting cubes with olive oil--and I keep sneaking bites from her. I'll have to make this one as a treat for mommy and daddy! Thanks Kalyn!

Kalyn, these look fabulous. I'm a sucker for real sweet potato fries, but obviously they're not too SBD friendly. I'll definitely be trying these out. Oh, and I can't wait to see what the favorite herb of the year is this year!

Nabeela, I did make it the first two times with the very same pre-cut sweet potatoes from Costco,and they were definitely good. However, I really preferred the sweet potatoes cut a bit thicker. Either way I think you'll like it.

Wendy, chili powder sounds good too!

Mrs. W. I don't think it's possible to make sweet potato fries that are truly crisp (I read a bit about this online) but the higher temperature plus oil helps. They were just a tiny bit crisp on some edges, but still delicious.

Now I'm salivating! I love sweet fries to begin with but haven't tried them with the herbs. I just use a little salt and pepper and they wow me when cooked that way so this will probably put me in shock! Thanks for flingin' a cravin' on me. Off to check my spices to see what I need and don't have!

I'm so making these! As it is, I often make sweet potato "wedges" with BBQs - I don't even peel them, just a good scrub, cut into wedges, tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary before roasting. When they come out they get a quick sprinkle of salt & that's it. People can't believe what they're eating when I tell them, especially fussy kids! I'm dying to try your spice mix...

Margaret, very good point. I don't know why I peeled them, other than that's what the recipe said to do. Definitely I think I'll try them not peeled, and I bet the skin part will be delicious, all crispy from roasting. Let me know if you try it that way too.

Anonymous, your spice combination sounds like it would taste great! Unfortunately for South Beach Dieters, the brown sugar would not be an approved addition to the recipe. Just mentioning that for anyone who didn't know.

I mad ethis yesterday, and it was a fabulous recipe. Works well with white sweet potatoes. Instead of fennel, which I didn't have, I substituted Chinese five-spice powder: cinnamon, fennel, anise, pepper, and cloves. I think it turned out great- it gave a littl extra pretend sweetness to the potatoes that is totally yummy and totally South Beach friendly. If you have never used it, it's a great spice blend to have. A little does go a long way..

I just had to comment on these, oh, my goodness, they are soooo good. The spice mixture is great, I have tried many different sweet potato fries recipes over the years and this is the best. Thank you for sharing it with us. I did make a garlic curry aioli to serve with the fries and it was great. If you don't have all the spices, it is so worth you going to get them.

We tried this the other night and almost everyone -- especially the babies LOVED it (I didn't have fennel so I want to get some and see how that affects the taste)...my 3 yr old wasn't so impressed...he feels strongly that french fries should be white...but then when you exist on belly button lint and dust bunnies gourmet food doesn't impress you ;o).

I totally agree that it is a recipe that we'll be making again and again...

Just realized as I came here remind myself of the oven temp so I can make these for what is likely literally the 50th time (I keep a baggie with the premade spice mix in my spice drawer at all times) that I've never left a comment!

So... just wanted to tell you I love this recipe so much that I've made it probably 50 times since finding it here several years ago. Whenever I make it people go wild and gobble them up. I serve them with vegan aioli and the combination is sheer indulgence!

Hi! Just found this recipe and decided to put together the spice mixture for my office for Christmas. So, I was ordering spices from Penzeys and wondered whether you use Mexican oregano or Mediterranean oregano. Thanks!

Hi Jessica. You definitely want Mediterranean oregano for this recipe, sometimes called Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano. I'll edit the recipe to clarify that, thanks for the question. I bet this is a big hit with the office mates!

Just finished eating my 99th zillion batch ; Picked up beautiful sweet potatoes in today's CSA box (bittersweet last of the season). This recipe is perfection, although I stopped peeling them long ago - more nutritious, much easier/faster, and they still taste terrific!

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